LEAGUE leaders Bolton maintained their advantage at the top of the table with a win in North Wales.

Bolton went into the break 2-0. Andy Bull scored the first with a superbly crafted flick from a penalty corner before Chris Aitken squeezed the ball past the keeper from the narrowest of angles after a well timed pass from Mike Baddeley.

Nerves began to tell for Bolton and the second half turned into a tense affair. Bolton wasted many chances to seal the victory and were punished for their errors when Northop were awarded a penalty for a goal-bound shot which hit a Bolton defender's foot on the line. The home side put the penalty away to leave an uncomfortable last 10 minutes for Bolton to see out. They managed to defend well for the last few minutes and gained the victory theyneeded.

Bolton have a three point- lead over Wrexham with only three games left to play. Another double-header awaits them this weekend; first a home fixture against bottom placed Formby and an away trip to Wrexham, which is a six pointer.